1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge composed of an ink ribbon holder and an ink ribbon housed therein. Specifically, the present invention relates to an ink ribbon cartridge for a printing device, wherein an ink ribbon being correctly housed in a corresponding ink ribbon holder.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, an ink ribbon holder and an ink ribbon housed therein is utilized as an ink ribbon cartridge for a common printing device, such as a thermal printer. The ink ribbon is wound on a supply spool arranged in the ink ribbon holder. The ink ribbon cartridge is inserted from a cartridge insertion opening of the printer. When the printer is operated, the ink ribbon is taken up by a take-up spool arranged adjacent the supply spool in the holder. Detecting means for detecting the ink ribbon cartridge is formed on an inner wall of the cartridge insertion opening of the printer. The ink ribbon holder has holes on a wall at an inner end portion of the holder corresponding to the type thereof. When the ink ribbon cartridge is inserted in the cartridge insertion opening, detecting means detects the type of the cartridge according to holes of the holder, then a thermal head of the printer is controlled according to the detection, e.g., detection of the ink ribbon for black-and white type, color type and over head projector (OHP) type. Yellow portion, magenta portion and cyan portion are respectively formed on the color and the OHP type of the ink ribbon. Axial ends of both the supply spool on which the ink ribbon is wound and the take-up spool are supported by the opposite side walls of the holder.
During operation, the ink ribbon cartridge is inserted in the cartridge insertion opening of a printer body, then, when the ink ribbon is completely used, the ink ribbon cartridge is pulled out therefrom to dispose the ink ribbon with the ink ribbon holder. The number of disposed ink ribbon cartridges becomes quite numerous. This causes environmental pollution.
In order to repeatedly use the ink ribbon cartridge, the ink ribbon is removed from the ink ribbon holder after the ink ribbon cartridge is detached from the printer body to dispose only the used ink ribbon. Then, the new ink ribbon is housed in the detached ink ribbon holder to again insert in the cartridge insertion opening of the printer body.
However, any designation to detect the type of the ink ribbon at a glance is made thereon. Therefore, the ink ribbon cannot be easily identified by an appearance thereof. On the other hand, identification of the ink ribbon holder is done by the holes on the inner wall thereof, so the holder cannot also be easily identified at a glance.
Therefore, the type of the ink ribbon to be housed in the corresponding ink ribbon holder may be frequently mistaken when the ink ribbon holder is repeatedly used.